ESPN's intrepid reporter with Bearcats QB Zach Collaros on the eve of homecoming: "Last year, Coach Jones said, this team was physically mismatched. But now everybody really gets the system."

Elisabeth Caren (Photos 2-7)

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This is going to be a really good football weekend. Rece Davis and I were talking the other (rainy) day, and we're hoping for a Cincinnati-N.C. State shootout to kick things off. You're talking about two teams that have kind of fallen in the same category, where they've got a lot to prove but a lot of points to score.

Elisabeth Caren (Photos 2-7)

Considering all the hype over Russell Wilson with him leaving for Wisconsin and everything, Mike Glennon has been a nice breath of fresh air for this N.C. State team. It's kind of put a little hype on his shoulders and taken him from what I wouldn't necessarily call a nobody, but, as coach Tom O'Brien pointed out when I spoke to him yesterday, Glennon's only really had three starts in college football — and he is now definitely proving he can hang. The last time Glennon had started, before this season, was when he was in high school, and then he goes and throws for over 300 yards and three touchdowns against Wake Forest. He even almost broke Philip Rivers's completion-percentage record against South Alabama last week! And now he's playing on national primetime tonight.

Elisabeth Caren (Photos 2-7)

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With the quarterbacks playing on ESPN on Thursday nights, we always try to see how they handle themselves. Whether it's a hostile atmosphere and being on the road, or just that national stage of millions of people watching at home — it can really affect a QB, especially one that hasn't seen much game time. I'm always looking to see if they're a little too wide- eyed; it's usually evident in the first couple series, when you'll see them overthrowing receivers, but they all seem to settle in eventually.

Elisabeth Caren (Photos 2-7)

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But all the talk with the N.C. State coaches was about the defense and all of its injuries: Terrell Manning had surgery the other day, their captain J.R. Sweezy is still out with a broken foot — seven of their top 15 players on defense are out, and obviously it's showed.

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Meanwhile, Cincinnati coach Butch Jones has really been emphasizing protecting the football. They led the league in turnovers last year. And that was on offense, not defense — not exactly a good thing. They spent the offseason, preseason, and most of camp focusing on eliminating turnovers and protecting the football. The Bearcats have only had one this season, so it seems to be working.

Elisabeth Caren (Photos 2-7)

The realignment of the ACC, on the other hand, the coaches haven't really been emphasizing. It's the first thing we talked about, but Coach Jones said, "We're going to be fine." And pretty much all the coaches we talk to about the conference shuffling say they're not focused on it or really even thinking about it. Most of the coaches insist on this kind of wait-and-see approach — that it's out of their hands. But I imagine they're still thinking about it somewhere in the back of their minds.

Elsewhere in Week 4...

Alabama-Arkansas is a big-time SEC game, for sure. First off, Bobby Petrino was throwing pretty much everything he could get his hands on the sidelines the other day, and he let QB Tyler Wilson have it more than once. But Arkansas almost beat Alabama last year, and both teams will show up ready to play. That being said, 'Bama is ranked No. 3 for a reason — that defense is really something — but I think Arkansas will come in and at least give them good game.

The LSU-West Virginia matchup? Look, the Tigers have played three ranked teams in their last four games — just imagine that preparation. They had alittle extra time after our Thursday game last week, where the thing that impressed me most was their secondary. But Jarrett Lee? He looked really, really good. Now I know that going into Morgantown is tough — and that Geno Smith looked really good, too, and that anything's possible — but LSU has seen that spread offense with Mississippi State and with Oregon. They're ready.

For me, OK State and A&M — No. 7 and No. 8, and two explosive offenses — that's the other big one. We all know Brandon Weedon is awesome, but Ryan Tannehill has been very impressive as well, and these two teams have got a lot to live up to after the game they had last year. So they're calling this one a shootout, too. Like I said, it's going to be a really good weekend. By next week, maybe we'll have some Heisman candidates.